I've been a roleplaying gamer for the majority of my life – 41 years as of now. I've seen and played dozens, perhaps hundreds, of RPGs, beginning with the original three-booklet version of Dungeons and Dragons and then going through Monsters! Monsters! (the "bad guy" version of Tunnels and Trolls), Rolemaster (descended from the three separate works of Arms Law, Spell Law, and Claw Law), the Arduin Grimoire supplements, The Arcanum, then through the ages to things ranging from Vampire: The Masquerade to Feng Shui, AMBER Diceless Roleplaying, [ Continue reading... ]
Princess Holy Aura: Chapter 18
September 29, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Holly had made a friend, so let's go forward a bit in time... Chapter 18. "I push the door open slowly," Seika said, miming the action across the broad table. Her voice echoed in the mostly deserted cafeteria, giving an appropriate overtone to her words. Holly glanced at the other three members of the Steampunk Adventure Club. "Any of you doing anything while the Countess opens the door?" Caitlin Modofori shrugged. "Iron Jake's got his flux baton ready, but other than that he's just watching." "By my [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: Persona 5
June 27, 2017 By Leave a Comment
"We will definitely take your heart!" The Persona series of JRPGs, the most successful component of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise, is simultaneously unique in its approach, and at the same time something of a perfect distillation of what makes console JRPGs work. I have previously reviewed Persona 3 and Persona 4, as well as Persona 4 Arena, a fighting game spinoff of 4 which had startlingly deep story and character elements. Those prior experiences set a terribly high bar for the sequel to clear. It succeeded. Like its [ Continue reading... ]
Just For Fun: Tabletop RPGs – Game Balance OR World Trumps Rules
January 31, 2017 By Leave a Comment
I've been a roleplaying gamer since 1977, when I first encountered Dungeons and Dragons – unless you count the venerable game of "let's pretend", which I was playing from the time I was 4 or 5, and even had some rules for to minimize the arguments. I discussed my initial encounter with commercial RPGs, and the influence it had on my life, in this prior entry: http://grandcentralarena.com/under-the-influence-roleplaying-games-rpgs/ In this entry, though, I want to talk about running RPGs and how I view this extremely challenging hobbyist [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: Dragon Age: Inquisition
September 15, 2016 By Leave a Comment
As my prior reviews of Dragon Age and Dragon Age II made clear, those were impressively good games with excellent characterization, good gameplay, and a deep and engaging plot. A third game had an incredibly high standard to live up to. Instead, the first and second games now have a problem of living up to the third. The game starts with a column of warriors – presumably Templars – marching on one side, a column of mages on the other, heading for a massive keep in the distance. Starting the game… causes the tower to explode. You begin [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: A Fire Upon the Deep
August 23, 2016 By 1 Comment
On the edge of the Galaxy, an archaeological expedition finds a cache of ancient wonders. But in delving into the secrets of a civilization so advanced they can barely comprehend it, they unleash… something. A Something that bides its time, hidden until it is prepared, and then acts to consume them all, flower into malevolent power. Only a desperate sacrifice by two researchers – themselves also nigh to reaching a superhuman state – allows any of them to escape at all. At the same time, far towards the center of the Galaxy, a race of strange [ Continue reading... ]
Under the Influence: Wizards of the Coast
November 5, 2015 By 1 Comment
As I have mentioned elsewhere, I was a major presence online in the Usenet gaming communities rec.games.frp.* for many years (going back to the late 1980s). One day, in 1991, I was contacted by a person going by the name of Mavra, whose real name I later learned was Peter Adkison. He said he was part of a new RPG company and was looking for people to take a look at an early draft of their first planned product, and I was the sort of gamer he was looking for. Little did I realize how important a first contact I had just made. I of course [ Continue reading... ]
GamerGate: My Comments
October 27, 2014 By 1 Comment
WARNING: Some strong language, especially for me, ahead. I rarely make what could be considered political or activist posts. This is mainly because of two things; I am rarely 100% certain of everything I say, contrary to many people's impressions of me. On important subjects, I hear people talking, with apparent authority, and saying things that come to opposite conclusions. I'm not equipped any better than most of these people to decide who's right and who's wrong. I may come to a conclusion of [ Continue reading... ]
On My Shelves: King Khan
December 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment
King Khan is a novel by Harry Connolly, author of Child of Fire and other stories in the Twenty Palaces universe. I've reviewed Child of Fire elsewhere, and as I said there it was an excellent read, but riding my tolerance for dark material closely, presenting a gritty, horrific universe where even the protagonist can't avoid getting his hands … and the rest of him… dirty in more ways than one. King Khan is almost the polar opposite of the Twenty Palaces universe. While Harry's deft mastery of language is still [ Continue reading... ]
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